Stripe EU VAT VIES Check Workflow (n8n) + Gmail Finance Alerts

Automatically validate EU VAT in Stripe drafts—then notify finance via Gmail

This n8n workflow listens for Stripe invoice drafts, re-checks the customer’s EU VAT number using the EU Commission’s VIES API, updates Stripe’s tax treatment (or holds the draft when needed), saves the VIES result into invoice metadata, and emails your finance team via Gmail.

What this workflow does

• Triggers on Stripe invoice.created and de-duplicates events so each invoice is processed only once.
• Loads your VAT policy settings (seller country/VAT number, retry rules, and notification email) and fetches the latest Stripe Customer details.
• Classifies the invoice scenario as:
  • Cross-border EU VAT check (VIES validation)
  • Reverse-charge state to stop/flag without VIES
  • Non-applicable case based on address/VAT ID and current Stripe tax settings
• Runs VIES checks for cross-border EU cases by calling the EU VIES REST API and interpreting the response, including optional name matching.
• Handles temporary VIES failures by retrying after a wait while holding the draft.
• Decides what to do with the Stripe draft: confirm reverse charge, remove reverse charge, or hold the draft for invalid VAT under Stripe Tax, name mismatches, or VIES errors.
• Updates Stripe (adjusting customer tax treatment when applicable), writes the VIES proof/decision into invoice metadata, toggles auto-finalization when held/unheld, and sends a Gmail notification to finance when the decision isn’t a “quiet” confirmation.

Use cases

• Keep Stripe EU VAT compliance accurate by validating VAT IDs during invoice drafting.
• Automatically flag or hold invoices when VIES results indicate invalid VAT or mismatched names.
• Reduce finance follow-ups with automated email alerts for tax treatment decisions.

Technical details

• Workflow category: n8n automation workflow
• Integrations: Stripe, EU VIES REST API, Gmail
• Nodes used: if, set, code, no op, wait, gmail